In Chris Paines's provocative documentary, four contenders from different sides of the business world compete to rescue the electric car from obscurity after the auto industry had abandoned it in the early 2000s. Manufacturers from GM, Tesla, and Nissan, and an entrepreneurial mechanic called "Gadget" vie to revive an energy source that dates back to the start of the motor vehicle industry and fared pretty well until it was superseded by the internal combustion engine. Much of the film involves cold facts and crunched numbers as it examines historical failures and more recent debacles, including cases of financial ruin and even arson. But Paine (following up his Who Killed the Electric Car?) sustains interest by providing what seems an insider's look at schemes, both legitimate and sleazy, cooked up behind closed doors. In the end, Revenge is sweet, and Paine's outlook is positive, with a prospect of clean air and even an end of oil dependency.

REVIEW: GREEDY LYING BASTARDS | March 06, 2013 Not just another environmental movie about how we're killing our planet and ourselves, Craig Scott Rosebraugh's documentary focuses on the political manipulation of the debate, both nationally and around the world.

REVIEW: BULLET TO THE HEAD | February 05, 2013 Veteran director Walter Hill's return to the screen looks, sounds, and feels like an '80s action movie beefed-up for modern audiences with heaping helpings of messy blood squibs.

REVIEW: 2012 BRITISH ARROW AWARDS | November 21, 2012 These British imports come from varying corners of the marketplace, from phone companies to soft-drink makers, and seek to appeal to international jet setters, the child in all of us, or even to the daring bit of ourselves that would like to piss off Chef Gordon Ramsay.